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| Brand: Canon
Category: Photography
List Price: $520.00
Buy New: $304.99
You Save: $215.01 (41%)
New (41) Used (1) from $299.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  183 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Fragile: No
Batteries Included: No
Maximum Focal Length: 58
Minimum Focal Length: 50
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 2.9 x 2 x 2
MPN: 2515A003
Model: 2515A003
UPC: 082966213014
EAN: 4960999213019
ASIN: B00009XVCZ
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 In the real world, this IS an "L" lens. November 4, 2006
23 out of 24 found this review helpful
The latest 50 f/1.4 EF lens is the best performing chunk of glass that any photographer can buy for anywhere near the price. Granted, the 50 1.8 lens is awesome for it's dirt cheap price, but it is outclassed by the f/1.4 in all respects.
Others have already raved about the virtues of this cheap (not really) lens, so I'll just agree with with the strong points, and lay out the broad picture on an open table.
First, the 50 f/1.8 is usually a fine lens. It is dirt cheap, has better quality control than anything built by Sigma, and is super light weight. That being said, it does have issues with lens to lens quality, it is "only f/1.8", has a plastic lens mount, and is pretty slow in AF.
The 50 f/1.4, on the other hand, can darn near allow you to see in the dark through the viewfinder, can focus in total darkness with the right shoe mount flash, records tack sharp images at most all apertures, has great contrast, is light in weight, small in size, has a metal lens mount, and is pretty cheap to buy.
It is NOT an L lens in construction, yet it offers L lens optical quality. It does have a USM, but it is the "old style" USM, and is not as fast as the modern ring type USM lenses. Still, it is very fast, it beats the speed of the throw away f/1.8 lens to death, and is pretty darn quiet. Also, despite the majority plastic build, and lack of distance data for E-TTL II flashes (the f/1.8 also lacks this feature) the f/1.4 lens does offer a very responsive full time manual focus ring that works like a charm for manual focus, or just touch up in difficult auto focus situations.
This lens is all that, and everyone should own it as their first lens. Zoom lenses included in body/lens kits are just plain junk (sorry), but this lens will stay in your camera kit for decades, no matter what camera body is in your future.
People who are using 1.6 crop factor cameras like the 20D, 30D, and Rebel line should bear in mind that the 50 f/1.4 lens is effectively an 80 mm f/1.4 lens when mounted on their cameras. That makes the 50 f/1.4 an awesome portrait lens, and the aperture and diaphragm design of the f/1.4 make it unbeatable for capturing shallow depth of field shots with pleasingly blurred backgrounds.
As fine a lens as the 50 mm f/1.8 really is, it cannot begin to compare to the 50 mm f/1.4 lens in terms of functionality. Buy this lens today, and it will be with you until the end, no matter what Canon body you use in the future. If you use a 1.6 crop factor camera today, this lens will become a favorite, and the best 80 mm portrait lens you have ever owned.
As always, use it with the factory lens hood at all times (only about twenty five bucks), and use a UV filter that is multi coated on both surfaces at all times. Anyone who suggests that you use a cheap filter is steering you down the wrong path. No matter what lens you buy, always use a UV filter that is built at least as well as your lens. Cheap filters, and filters that are not multi coated on both surfaces are just plain garbage. The shame of it is that even Canon offers garbage filters for cheap, and many people who spend hundreds of Dollars on a lens claim that "If it's good enough for Canon, it's good enough for me". Nonsense. A cheap filter is just that. A good lens with a cheap filter might impress, but a good lens with a great filter WILL impress. Don't fall into the cheap trap.
 Choosing a "standard" lens October 30, 2006
35 out of 37 found this review helpful
When I worked as a photojournalist many years ago, 50mm was the "standard" lens in that it came closest to a real world perspective, especially for street photography. That is no longer always true because of the field-of-view crop of many cameras. Canon's popular digital Rebel and its successors, for example, have a 1.6X view that turns a 50mm lens into an 80mm lens. The 1D MARK II has a 1.3X view that makes it a 65mm lens.
So, if you're looking for a standard lens today, 35mm probably is closer to the mark on those cameras. And Canon has a couple of options there - a 35 f/1.4 that is great and expensive and a 35 f/2 that is a good value at about $250.
If you're still looking for a 50mm, however, there now are four options from Canon: 50/1.2, 50/1.4, 50/1.8 and 50/2.5. Here are the pros and cons of each:
50/1.2 is the newest, fastest and the most expensive at about $1,600. It is an "L" lens, which means it is more durably constructed than any of the others. The image quality is a cut above all of the others, especially at wider apertures. If money is no object, you'll probably want this one. But most of the rest of us have to ask the question whether it's 5X better than the 1.4.
50/1.4 is maligned by some for the softness of its images at f/1.4, but for me its a good, compact, low-light lens at a terrific price ($325). And the lens gets sharp quickly as you stop it down. It's sharp at f/2 and very sharp by f/2.8 with good contrast and colors.
50/1.8 is a step down from the 1.4 in speed, image quality, build quality and the smoothness and noise of its autofocus. But it is a big step up in value - a decent lens for about $80. If you're just getting into digital photography, this is a great lens to learn on until you get a better feel for the lenses that you want/need.
50/2.5 - this is a macro lens, although you can use it for general photography, too. I wouldn't recommend it. If you're doing macro photography, spend a little more for the 100/2.8, which is a sharper lens that gives you more subject distance. If you're looking for a standard lens, you'll appreciate the wider aperture of the 1.4.
All that said, of the 50mm Canon lenses, I think the 50/1.4 still offers the best mix of image quality and value.
A String of Firsts October 2, 2006
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
This is the lens that will make you look like a pro. When people say, I saw this picture that had this kind of effect in it, you'll be able to say, "Oh sure, you just chnge the ....... and they come out like this." - Seriously, read your camera manual, buy this lens and experiment a bit and you WILL be amazed at the images comming out of YOUR camera. This is not an exageration. This lens is a serious tool with amazing versatility.
The first thing I noticed about this lens wa the huge size of the rear glass compared to my other lenses - f1.4. The next was the bokeh, nice, nice, very nice - dreamy indeed. This lens has good color reproduction, is built solid.
This lens added to a package of 6500 Kelvin CFL light bulbs produced my first completely color accurate images - images requiring NO computer based color manipulation or other adjustment. That's major. It would be nice if you could get in closer to objects than the 18 inches or so that this lens requires but color accuracy and sharp quick focus more than make up for it.
I really disagree with the build quality compaints or perhaps canon has made some adjustments. My copy of this lens feals rock solid. Not only that but check out ebay. People are buying this thing used for $35 less than it sells for brand new.
After recently experiencing a free repair from Canon on another lens under warranty that they could easily have charged me for, I highly recommend buying only the USA legit lenses. The warranty coverage is SERIOUSLY WORTH EVERY PENNY. When you start to rely on a lens you really don't want downtime. Perhaps Canon would have covered the Grey market version as well but why find out. I need the lenses I own, don't you?
Sometimes the focus does get lost, especially when shooting against a background without any real focus points (like a light tent), it's somewhat understandable though.
This is a great lens at 300 bucks. Buy it and throw any kit lenses you may have directly into the trash. This is a very nice lens.
One issue though that has recently come up - when the weather turned colder, the autofocus started slowing down and then after three weeks locked up refusing to work no matter whether the lens was warm or cold.. No matter as Canon's excellent factory service will repair this at no charge. Canon does not guarantee anything to work under 32 degrees f (Pretty sure about this with respect to autofocus across the entire line)
Simply fabulous! September 15, 2006
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
Okay, let me start off by saying that although this lens is great, it is not perfect. I feel like the construction could be better. The focus ring wobbles somewhat, as does the end of the lens (to a small degree) when it is focused to infinity. Autofocus can also be somewhat unpredictable under certain situations. And finally, f/1.4 is really not that sharp. Pictures taken at f/1.4 may or may not be usable (depending on the situation). But they won't really impress. Of course, all of these problems could probably be improved upon by making this lens an L-series (and Canon does indeed now make a 50mm f/1.2L). But, as is the case with the new Canon 50mm f/1.2L, this would certainly increase the price by a factor of 3-4 (or more). And for many of us, putting up with a few hitches is well worth it when you consider the (relatively) low cost of this lens and its (very) positive attributes.
So what is so great about this lens? First and foremost, it is sharper than some lenses costing MUCH more. Yes, f/1.4 is not very sharp. But this is alot to ask even for an L-series. Furthermore, even by the time you get to f/1.8, sharpness has improved literally by leaps and bounds. And once you get into the 2's (and above), things are INSANELY sharp - from edge to edge! Simply by tossing that piece of garbage 18-55mm EF-S kit lens and putting this one on, your DSLR will go from taking pictures that look maybe just a little better than a good point-and-shoot to professional looking. You will suddenly find yourself going back and reshooting all those pictures that suddenly look like garbage. You will also find yourself finding creative ways to use this lens for as many different pictures as you can (rather than using other, less sharp lenses that might have a more appropriate focal length). And you will even find other people telling you that you should become a professional photographer because your pictures are so good! It's really THAT good. There is a reason why even many pros prefer this lens over some more expensive lenses. And this is it.
But sharpness is not everything. Contrast and color saturation will also rock your world. I have not yet tried a lens that is THIS good. Zooms? Forget it! L-series? Well, I have never really tried one on my camera. And even if they are better, let's not forget the price. I should also note that, although the 50mm f/1.8 mkII comes close to the 50mm f/1.4 in terms of sharpness, reviews have shown that it doesn't come close in terms of contrast or saturation. This lens is simply as good as it gets in this price range.
It's just too bad that 50mm is not a more useful focal length on an APS-C camera (where it is equivalent to 80mm on a full frame camera). Yes, it finds good use on my camera. But if it was truly a 'standard' lens on my camera, I would probably seldom change lenses!
A review for parents August 23, 2006
60 out of 62 found this review helpful
I bought this lens to take indoor portraits of my nine-month-old daughter using available light. I was tired of the harsh photos produced by the built-in flash on the Canon 20D or Digital Rebel. A bounce flash improves matters great deal, but I wanted to see what could be done with a fast lens.
The Canon 50mm 1.4 gobbles light. It opens up a world of indoor photography that is not possible with a 4.0 lens. The 50mm focal length combined with available light produces natural-looking results. It is exactly what your eye sees. Shadows and highlights are intact. It is a revelation if you're used to the harsh drop shadows and evenly-lit faces produced by flashes. This is a jarring step up in quality from snapshot to "wow"
As noted, focus is soft at /1.4 and begins to sharpen at /2.0 to /2.8. Not a bad thing, though. Some of my favorite pictures have been produced with the aperture wide open. The depth of field is so narrow at this point, that the subject's face is in focus, but the shoulders start to blur.
I use this lens with a 20D. The balance is perfect, the combination feels very professional and responsive. Operation is very simple. Move the camera into aperture priority mode (Av), look though the view finder and adjust the aperture until you see the shutter speed is faster than 1/30th a second (30).
I agonized over the 1.4 vs. the 1.8 versions of this lens. The additional stop does provide more shooting options. Often I'm shooting at the edge of acceptable shutter speed, and juggling both aperture and ISO. Many reviews comparing the two talk about build quality, focus motor speed/noise, etc, but the bottom line for me was the extra stop was totally worth it. If you want to shoot indoors without a flash, get the 1.4. If you simply want a nice sharp lens at this focal length, the 1.8 is for you.
As a father, my only regret is I wish I had this lens earlier. From one parent to another, I'll tell you the price of the lens is irrelevant, as the pictures it produces are priceless.
Now, go make a backup of your photo library.
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